1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to combination horse trailer-corral structures in which a portable corral is carried on the horse trailer, and is quickly demountable therefrom to form an enclosure having the trailer positioned to open into the enclosure and form an accessible stall.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Horses are often transported from one location to another in specially constructed trailers which include side walls and a roof, and are generally formed with one or more (usually two) gates or doors at the rear end of the trailer to permit horses to be loaded and unloaded. The rear end of such trailers is frequently sufficiently close to the ground that horses have no problem stepping up into the trailer when they are being loaded, or backing out of the trailer when they are being unloaded. Such trailers are usually towed behind motorized vehicles, and it is often desirable or necessary to transport the animals over long distances.
Where horses are to be transported over a substantial distance, it is desirable to occasionally permit the horses to be unloaded from the trailer for the purpose of exercise, watering and the like. This is particularly desirable for the reason that there is usually insufficient space in the trailer to permit the animals to comfortably lie down or recline, and the jolting and vibration of over-the-road travel for considerable distances is fatiguing.
A number of structures have previously been proposed for permitting a corral or enclosure to be erected adjacent the opened rear end of a horse trailer at such time as it becomes desirable or necessary to stop in order to rest the animals, and permit them to be exercised. A portable corral useful in combination with a horse trailer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,585 issued to Hall. The corral provided in the Hall structure includes a plurality of rigid, foldable frames or units which can be folded or pivoted in relation to each other to form a polygonal enclosure constituted by the several panels arranged in end-to-end angulated relation to each other. The enclosure thus formed and constituting the corral can be arranged to extend outwardly from the open rear end of the trailer so that horses can move into and out of the trailer from the corral for purposes of shelter from the weather, being fed from feedboxes disposed in the trailer, or for reloading after a period of exercise and preparatory to further transport.
The rigid panels which are used in forming the Hall corral are heavy and bulky and, when stored alongside the trailer during transport, project outwardly from the side of the trailer, in some instances, a greater distance than the wheel wells or fenders of the trailer, and thus constitute some hazard during transport. Moreover, breaking out the panels and assembling them in the proper form to constitute the enclosure or corral requires proper interlocking of hinged sections, and a not inconsiderable amount of time and effort. In instances where animals having some propensity to wildness or unruly nature are being transported, the panels do not offer sufficient strength, when set up in the form of an enclosure, to restrain such horses against a breakout or escape. The hollow tubular stock of which the panels are constructed also is costly when enough of the panels are provided to form a relatively large corral.
A generally similar portable corral is disclosed in Bernhardt et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,256 and also includes the provision of a plurality of rigid panels which are hooked together to form a generally rectangular enclosure cooperating with the entrance of the horse trailer.
In Blagg U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,529, a plurality of rigid panels are provided and, rather than being stored alongside the trailer during transport of the horses, they are stored within the trailer and thus reduce the total area which is afforded for the accommodation of animals carried in the trailer.
Aside from the inclusion with horse trailers of rigid panel structures of the type described for the purpose of providing an available enclosure or corral when the trailer and its towing vehicle are stopped to exercise the transported horses, various types of portable fencing have heretofore been known and used for the purpose of erecting a livestock retaining fence at randomly selected locations. It is known that a very effective fence for turning large animals is one in which an electrical conductor constitutes an element of the fence, and is extended around the perimeter of the enclosure in a location to be contacted by the animal should the animal try to break through the fence or to lean against it in a way which might otherwise destroy the fence. In some of the types of portable electric fences heretofore provided, such as that shown in Kreeger U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,825, a plurality of portable, easily moved and installed posts are provided in conjunction with one or more elongated electrical conductors which are extended through insulators provided in such posts (and after arrangement of the posts, they do provide an enclosure of the desired shape and size).
In general, the types of electrical conductors which are provided for the purpose of turning livestock are thin wires, and are generally silvery colored or light gray in appearance, thus rendering them difficult to readily see. Such conductors are sometimes inadvertently touched by persons walking in the vicinity of an electrified fence, particularly in the case of portable fences erected at a situs a short time before, and therefore unknown to persons in the vicinity, and happening upon the temporarily erected fence for the first time.